ND's Kuper cracks top 3 in two events

ST. PETERS, Mo. -- Moments after completing a successful state meet, Jameson Kuper just soaked up the moment.

"That's why I like this sport so much. It doesn't matter what place you get because two years from now I'm not even gonna remember. I'm gonna remember the race, not the place," Kuper said, surveying the Rec-Plex atmosphere.

"Look at all the fans here everywhere, just screaming their heads off," he added. "It just makes state that much more special."

Kuper, a Notre Dame senior, made sure his performance at the boys swimming and diving state meet was pretty special as well. He didn't come away with the state title he had coveted, but he came pretty close in two events.

Kuper finished a very close second in the 200-yard freestyle and an almost-as-close third in the 100-yard breaststroke. His times in those two events would have been good enough to win first in both at last year's state meet.

"It was just a much faster field," said Lenny Kuper, Notre Dame coach and Jameson's father. "It's just amazing, the speed we saw here today."

Jameson Kuper's 33 points were enough to earn the Bulldogs a 21st-place finish as a team.

He led the 200 free for much of the final 50 yards before being passed by Lafayette's Sean Mathews near the finish. Mathews ended up with a time of 1 minute 42.68 seconds, while Kuper had a 1:43.16.

"It was pretty amazing. It just came down to the last 10 yards. It's just a matter of how hard you train and I guess he won that," Jameson Kuper said. "We've been going back and forth for a long time. The competition's fun. He's a great guy, we're good friends. We'll race at [club] sectionals in three weeks. Hopefully, I'll get him then."

Kuper was aware how close the race was between him and Mathews.

"I knew it was gonna be either me or Sean," Kuper said. "I knew it would come down to the touch, I just knew it. He just got me this time, it's no biggie."

In the breaststroke, Kuper finished with a time of 58.80 seconds, less than a second behind two-time state champion Jared Lender of Parkway Central (58.29) and Kevin Capps of Kirkwood (58.60).

"We're thrilled all his hard work paid off," Lenny Kuper said. "He swam faster than last year's best times [in both events]. I'm just speechless. You could tell nerves were setting in, but he started to get in what he calls his zone. He pushed everything out of his mind and focused on the race."

Jameson Kuper can now turn his attention to choosing a college to take his swimming skills to this fall. Missouri State, Minnesota and Southern Illinois were among the interested schools on-hand Saturday to see his performance.

"I'm training well, but there's really no one on my team that is my speed," he said. "I think the college atmosphere will really help me from that angle, having people there every day that are at my speed or most likely faster. It'll be just like a meet like this where I can swim 100 percent every practice."

Tigers finish 43rd

Central had a pair of 16th-place finishes Saturday. The 200-yard medley relay team of senior Daniel Austin, sophomore Peyton Waggener, senior Jason Mercer and junior Hunter Givens finished with a time of 1:44.24.

Mercer also had a 16th-place finish in the 50-free with a time of 23.03.

In addition, senior Tanner Rust finished 25th in the one-meter diving competition with a score of 106.15 points.

Central tied Parkway West for 43rd place in the state with three points.

"We were a little upset," Central coach Dayna Powell said. "We swam well, but we were hoping to get some medals.

"We had a great year, but we just had a little different intention for an ending tonight."